Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 11:36 am Post subject: Re: under water or under the water?

crliu wrote:

Which is correct?
I can hold my breath under the water for two minutes or
I can hold my breath under water for two minutes.

I think there is a subtle difference between these two sentences. If you were standing next to a pool, then both work. However if you were standing in the middle of the desert and you used the first example, some people would wonder "What water?" In this case "the water" is understood to refer to a particular body of water that the listener is familiar with". If there aint no water nearby you have a problem!

So in short, I'd say the second example is better.

Iain_________________
Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
--Chinese Proverb

Hi Crliu,
At least in British English you use 'play' without 'the' for sports: We play basketball every evening. When he was younger he used to play football.
And we use 'play' with 'the' for musical instruments: Can you play the piano? He plays the guitar in a group.
I can't say if this is the same in American English, but I imagine it is. After all, they're not all that different.

Thanks, Lib, for your usage rules. They are clear and easy to remember.

With regards to the "under water" question, is it also correct to say "I can hold my breath underwater for two minutes", using "underwater" as an adverb in the sentence? Does it express the same meaning as the previous two sentences? Is it preferable?

Yes, they are correct and they make sense. Still, I would probably make two changes: "... drivers get into a lot..." and "They should pay..."

"To get into an accident" is the typical way to express the thought of having a car accident. "To have an accident" could instead mean spilling your coffee in the car, although in context your sentence would not be confused.

I cannot explain why I prefer "should" to "must." It may just be a personal preference.

Also, I'll leave it to someone else to explain when to use "the" or "a/an" or nothing. For me, it would only be a guess.